Tag Archives: Monarch

On Sunday Sudbury photographers Ray Thoms and Ivo Lacle came down to check out butterflies etc in the Britt neighbourhood. (Click on their links to see some excellent camera and processing work. You also might want to check out “Making Pictures” up there in the header block.)

Before their arrival I warmed up the camera by visiting some nice spots as the sun was rising through the morning fog. Here is the Still River at St Amants Corner at 6:02 am:

CPR main line from Old Still River Road …

Still River from Farm Lane Road …

Much later, 9:30 the droplets of “fog” are slowly evaporating as the air warms up…

These two are worth expanding to full size, especially the upper one.

Droplets are slowly evaporating from the overnight blooms of this Evening Primrose…

Morning light is a good time to enjoy the colours reflected by new leaves (that do not yet have fully developed red absorbing chlorophyll).

I often use the rear underwing to get a good identification, so both of these photographs are useful for ID purposes.

This ragged but beautiful American Lady was flitting about on thistles …

The common use of ‘American Painted Lady’ and the similarity of V. virginiensis with V. carduimakes this useful link an important aid in identifying these two species of beautiful butterflies. (That little white dot on each wing never fails.)

Enlarge this one to see a rascally American Lady sticking her tongue (proboscis) out:

I think that this (Second Generation since hibernation in Mexico) female Monarch has just deposited an egg behind her right foot. The eggs deposited in mid-July will metamorphose into 3rd generation adults around mid-August. That generation will probably produce one more generation, the 4th, which will enter reproductive diapause so that their energy will be used for the long trip south. The reproductive effort is strongest in second and third generations. The first and last generations use substantial energy travelling.

Stocking up on nectar to mate and produce progeny.

This Orange Sulphur butterfly is probably first generation. It is nectaring to store energy for a second generation that may move somewhat south for overwintering in chrysalis form.

Part 2 of 2 will follow this Part 1 chronologically, but will appear above this on in the blog sequence. Complicated, eh?

I don’t use a compost pile anymore as I have had bear problems. So nowadays I return kitchen vegetable and animal waste back to “the bush” — a natural recycle. After that and a doggie walk, we spent an enjoyable afternoon idling along Jamot Lumber Road. This is some of what we saw:

The Monarchs are feeding on orange hawkweeds and laying eggs at the bases of common milkweed leaves.

Are these little flies feeding on something?

A yellow tufted loosestrife growing from the top of an altered beaver dam.

This is an amazing shot when you look closely! Click on it to see what the White Admiral has in the coil of its proboscis.

Near the Twin Rivers Bridge, at the confluence of Harris Creek and Naiscoot River, there are many Cow Parsnip plants growing along the roadside. Although they are somewhat phototoxic they are not as deadly as their look-alike close cousin, Giant Hogweed.

A nice little explanation showing the difference is at this link. It makes sense to avoid both plants.

This photo shows a slightly later stage of development, as the sheath unfolds to show the flower head emerging to eventually form an umbel, the characteristic inflorescence of the carrot family.

Roadside Ox Eye Daisies are in full bloom now, attracting and feeding many pollinators … and enhancing the roadside.